Stoke City ‘going to be a real threat’ this season as new boy opens up on transfer
News from the bet365 Stadium as new-look Stoke City prepare for home match against Watford
It can be a bit of a juggling act accepting that new-look Stoke City – with nine summer signings in their starting XI last weekend – will be something of a work in progress in the opening few weeks of the season while they still need results in the here and now.
No one is downplaying the importance of wins and performances to kickstart a new season and new era – both because a few points can go a long way even in a marathon Championship season and it’s a chance to distance themselves from the disappointments of recent past.
Daniel Johnson, one of those summer arrivals but a stalwart of this division, knows the value of momentum too – and harnessing it as early as possible – whatever the outside noise.
He said: “There’s going to be a time when the outsiders who are now saying, ‘They’re a new team’ or whatever, are going to stop saying that and expectations change. ‘They’ve been together for however long…’
“But I think ultimately we’ve just got to focus on us. From what I’ve seen since being here, I think we’ve got a really, really good team. We’ve got some exciting players and I think as long as long as we can find some sort of consistency and catch momentum, I think we’re going to be a real threat in the league this year.”
Every manager talks about the different challenges a team will face in the Championship from week to week but Stoke could hardly have asked for four more different opponents than the first fortnight; Rotherham and West Brom at home followed by Ipswich away and Watford back at the bet365 Stadium.
“That’s what it’s been every single year in the Championship,” said Johnson. “I think it’s more eye-opening for the boys that don’t know the league.
“We’ve had the two good wins at home, playing really well and popping the ball about and scoring goals. And then we go down to somewhere like Ipswich and it’s a very different occasion. Some of the boys are probably being hit by that a little bit by that but it’s just a little taste of what the league is all about.
“It’s not going to be pretty all the time, it’s not going to be nice. We’re not going to have it all our own way and sometimes we’re going to have to really dig deep to get results.
“Really it’s all about momentum and I think if you can catch momentum, you build that fear factor when you can go to places or when you play at home, no matter who you’re playing up against. That fear factor is what we’re trying to build.”
He added: “Especially at home. We don’t feel like anyone should come into our backyard and take any points. This is our place and we want to pick up as many points as possible – and obviously carry that form on the road with us too.”
Johnson had spent the best part of four seasons under Neil at Preston North End, playing alongside current midfield partner Ben Pearson and new Stoke first team coach Paul Gallagher, making for a few familiar faces as he sets up his new home.
Still, it’s been a big change after eight years at Deepdale.
“It’s been very foreign to me because obviously I had been at Preston for so long,” he said.
“Moving on to different surroundings, different faces, different characters, different buildings, everything is new but I’ve been settling in really well to be fair.
“The boys, the staff and even the fans have been really welcoming. It’s been good.
“I think it’s always important when you get to a stage in your life, not even just for football, when you feel like you need a new challenge and you want something new, something fresh, that you take it on and I feel like I was at that stage.”
